Maggots for Thought (Standard) Help?¿?

how about some more information?

have you played many games?  what gives you trouble?  What's your FNM like?

No... no... i don't like ethereal armor, that's for aggro decks which you are most definitely not. Here's my suggestions.  You're not far off a BW midrange, but you're lacking some of the bomb cards.  I might go heavier black and lean towards a mono-black devotion since you appear to have some of the important removal.  Cutting some of the white really makes the deck more consistent since you don't really have a lot of "power" cards that are in white like Blood Baron or obzedat.   I'd like to see underworld connections if you had them for additional card draw, but I tried to stick with what was in your inventory already or common/uncommon.

Lands, go up to at least 25 lands, with more black than white.  Obviously BW shocks would be ideal.  Mutavaults would be nice, but again, you said budget.  Cut it back to about 2-4 plains and the rest swamps keep your temples/gates

Before

4 Orzhov Guildgate
8 Plains
8 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence

After

4 Orzhov Guildgate
2 Plains
15 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence

Creatures need to provide some amount of devotion. i think fate unraveler is just cute and not doing that much for you, the ram as well.  I would cut those.  Athreos can be neat i suppose.  But you need a better outlet to abuse him.  also drop heliod.  You can't really support the mana dump or turn him on consistently.
Find 4 Gray Merchants and put those in.  Master of feast might be okay since you're picking apart your opponents hand some.

Before

4 Brain Maggot
4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
4 Underworld Coinsmith
2 Athreos, God of Passage
4 Grim Guardian
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
2 Fate Unraveler
1 Heliod, God of the Sun

After

4 Brain Maggot
2 Athreos, God of Passage (could also be replaced with lifebane zombie or something similar perhaps maindeck sincollectors, if control is a problem)
4 Grim Guardian ( I don't really like these, you're mising a solid 4 drop, like desecration demon, if you can find some I'd highly recomend using them. )
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
3 Master of feast (kind of taking the place of desecration demon and underworld connections)
4 Gray Merchant of Asphodel

The hard removal is good, but the board whips don't play well with your plan all that much.  The discard plan works. To take care of that.  More removal belongs here imo.

Before

4 Banishing Light
4 Hero's Downfall
3 Master of the Feast
4 Thoughtseize
2 Whip of Erebos
2 Dictate of Erebos
2 Extinguish All Hope
1 Merciless Eviction

After

4 Doom Blade
4 Hero's Downfall
4 Thoughtseize
1 Whip of Erebos
3 Devour Flesh (hex proof killers, very good, go up to 4 if MD if you need)
1 Deicide

Plug up some holes in the mainbaord. with more hand disruption.  Drown in sorry, is a concession to aggro decks. Bile blight might also work here.

Before

Sideboard:
1 Dark Betrayal
3 Aegis of the Gods
1 Blind Obedience
3 Deicide
2 Spirit of the Labyrinth
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
1 Doomwake Giant
1 Fated Retribution

After
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
4 Duress
2 Deicide
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Dark Betrayal
2 Sin Collector
3 Drown in Sorrow

Overall I feel some changes like this will make the deck more consistent.  If you haven't read the article about how to thoughtseize and how best to use it suggest you give it a read.

http://www.starcitygames.com/article/26 … e-You.html

Mono black can do well against hexproof, if you lean on thoughtseize and devour flesh.  Typically the deck has good game against control if played right.  Without the ability to go all in packrat you're lacking some pressure so.  I think the gods are good here if you can get the devotion to turn them on obviously, erebos stops life gain and getting your creatures back with athreos is good.  You can devour flesh your own dudes and bounce them with Athreos.  Gain life and recast them if needed.  A good way to recycle gray merchants for extra life loss.

Last edited by elpablo (2014-06-09 21:01:55)

you have to get over the fact that their life total matters, because it doesn't.  The deck you're playing (even before changes) is a control deck and life totals are irrelevant in control matches.  As soon as you own the game, they can't do anything and you just kill them.  Trust me

if you use erebos it alos limits their ability to gain life while you can have a whip in play to gain your own life too.